COLUMBIA-GREENE COMMUNITY COLLEGE BYLAWS OF THE FACULTY COUNCIL ARTICLE I Authority The faculty s role in formulation of College policy is stated in the SUNY Board of Trustees, Code of Standards for Community Colleges, Part 604, Institutional Procedures and Regulations (Statutory authority: Education Law, S 335, subdivision 1, paragraph c. The Faculty Council is established by mutual agreement, effective September 1, 1996, between the Board of Trustees of Columbia-Greene Community College and Columbia-Greene Community College Faculty. This is documented in the CGCC Board Policy Manual. ARTICLE II Purpose The purpose of the Faculty Council is to provide a general forum for faculty involvement in policy formulations and implementation and to facilitate communications between the faculty, staff and administration. ARTICLE III Charge The Council shall make recommendations to the President in such areas as curriculum, enrollment management, academic standards, academic support activities, and other matters of common interest which are not excluded by law or prior agreement. ARTICLE IV Faculty Membership Faculty shall be defined as those full-time instructional and non-instructional faculty holding academic rank.
ARTICLE V Council Membership The voting membership of the Faculty Council will consist of five elected faculty members and the elected SUNY Faculty Council of Community Colleges (FCCC) faculty representative. The Dean of Academic Affairs and the Dean of Students shall serve in ex-officio non-voting capacities. ARTICLE VI Quorum and Majority There shall be a quorum when at least four voting members of the Council are present. Each member is entitled to designate in writing a proxy to represent him/her at any meeting. The designated proxy shall have full power to exercise the absent member s vote. A majority vote means a majority of the voting members of the Council. ARTICLE VII Election to Membership The five faculty members of the Council are elected for a two-year term on a rotating basis, two being elected in odd-numbered years, three in even-numbered years. Members are limited to two (2) consecutive terms. The FCCC representative is elected for a three-year term. The election will coincide every third year with the March Council voting process. The Chairperson of the Council shall call for nominations, with a set closing date, in March of each year. To be placed on the ballot, a potential nominee must receive at least two nominations. The chairperson of the Council will verify that nominees are willing to serve and prepare a ballot for distribution to full-time faculty. Ballots will be collected by the faculty secretaries and tabulated by an officer of the Council who is not a candidate for reelection. Those candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall fill the vacancies as needed. In the event a vacancy occurs in a faculty member position on the Council, the Chairperson will call for a special election to fulfill the remaining term of the vacated position. ARTICLE VIII Term of Membership
The term of membership ends with the end of the spring semester (i.e. graduation). Newly elected members shall attend the April meeting for the purpose of election of officers only and begin their duties subsequent to graduation. ARTICLE IX Election of Officers The six voting faculty who will constitute Council for the next academic year will elect a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary at the April meeting. These officers will begin their duties after graduation. ARTICLE X Duties of Officers It shall be the duty of the Chairperson to preside at meetings and to report Faculty council actions and recommendations to the College President. The Chairperson shall preside at General Faculty meetings. It shall be the duty of the Vice-chairperson to preside at and to report Faculty Council actions and recommendations to the President in the Chairperson s absence. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to take minutes of each meeting and to prepare E- mail, with a paper copy on file in the Dean s office. ARTICLE XI Regular Meeting Dates Regular meetings of the Council shall be held no less than once a month while the College is in regular session (September through April). The Chairperson will call the first session at or very near the beginning of the school academic year. The Council will meet regularly thereafter, at a scheduled date and time. ARTICLE XII Special Meeting The Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson or Secretary may, with the concurrence of at least two other members of the Council, call for a special meeting of the Council at any time during the regular academic year. Three school days notice must be given to members of such a special meeting. ARTICLE XIII Caucus
Any voting member of Council may call a caucus of the Council. Only Faculty may attend. Binding votes may not be taken in a caucus. ARTICLE XIV Order of Business The usual order of business at regular meetings shall be: confirmation of quorum present approval of previous meeting minutes old business new business adjournment The Chairperson with the consent of a majority of members may alter the order of business. The order of business of a special meeting will be determined by the member calling the meeting. ARTICLE XV Relationship to Other Committees The following committees shall report to the President of the College via the Faculty Council. Academic Standards Committee Curriculum Committee Honors Committee Any ad-hoc committees formed by Faculty Council Faculty Council shall appoint faculty representatives to committees established by Faculty Council. The President may appoint faculty representatives to other committees in consultation with Faculty Council. ARTICLE XVI Faculty Council Action At the first Faculty Council meeting after receiving a committee recommendation, the Faculty Council will act on such recommendation and notify the appropriate committee of the action. Recommendations of the Faculty Council will be formulated after deliberation and discussion and based on a majority vote. No such vote may be called unless a quorum is present.
ARTICLE XVII Communication with President of College All recommendations and reports of Faculty Council will be made in writing within five working days of said action or the formulation of said recommendation. The President will respond in writing within ten working days after receiving said recommendation. The President may ask for the advice of the Faculty Council on recommendations made by other college wide committees. ARTICLE XIX Agenda Agendas for Council meetings shall be circulated via E-mail to the faculty of the College prior to the meeting. Items will be placed on the agenda if requested in writing to the Chairperson of the Council at least one week (five business days) before the scheduled meeting. The Chairperson, with the consent of a majority of voting members of Council, may place additional items on the agenda. ARTICLE XX Change in Bylaws The bylaws of the Faculty Council may be changed at any General Faculty meeting following the Council meeting at which such change was proposed. The proposed change should appear in the minutes circulated of that Council meeting. A majority of the Faculty attending the General Faculty meeting is required to approve the proposed change. ARTICLE XXI Ratification These bylaws will become effective upon ratification by a majority of the Faculty at the next General Faculty meeting. 6/17/96 5/99 (amended to include the FCCC representative as a voting member)